The city’s Northwest Side is getting increasingly more bike-friendly following an announcement from Cook County officials that the Edgebrook neighborhood will see new bike lanes. 

The $75 million project will bring bike paths along Devon Avenue between Spokane Avenue and Caldwell Avenue through the neighborhood’s business district. The path will connect to the extended North Branch trail that extends to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. 

A proposal for the bike path was submitted by 41st Alderman Anthony Napolitano to the Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer. The project was approved under the Invest in Cook transportation grant program.

Final details for the Edgebrook bike path have yet to be solidified. In an effort to maintain in-demand parking spots along the stretch, Napolitano said he will push city officials to paint shared bike lanes marked with “sharrow” symbols.

This is an effort by Napolitano to appease local business owners who are not proponents of eliminating parking, which is already limited along the strong.

A public meeting is expected to be planned for the end of August to discuss options, and officials hope to have the project completed by the spring at the latest.

Residents of Edgebrook and the surrounding communities recently saw the opening of the southern end of the North Branch Trail, a 22-mile asphalt path that now extends three miles deeper into the city. An official ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the new southern tip of the path at 4498 W. Foster Ave. The extension is 10 years in the making.

The $7.7 million project was funded mostly through federal grants and was completed in two phases. Last year the first phase opened in downtown Edgebrook.